Whelen Modified Tour Stat Advance: Stafford

Analyzing The TSI Harley-Davidson 125 At Stafford

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season will continue with the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 on Friday, June 6 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway. Below is a statistical look at the performance of the tour and selected drivers at the track:

TSI Harley-Davidson 125 Setup:
• This race has produced a different NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour winner every year since 2003.
• The last four winners of the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 have all gone on to win the tour title that season, including Ryan Preece a year ago.
• The first of Bobby Santos’ six Stafford wins came in this race in 2010, and he won the first NWMT race there this year.
• Doug Coby, the winner of this race in 2012, has finished first or second in six of the last nine NWMT Stafford races.

At Stafford Motor Speedway:
History
• The Stafford Springs Agricultural Park opened in 1870. The current race track was originally used for horse racing, which gave way to automobiles after World War II.
• Stafford Motor Speedway became a NASCAR-sanctioned track in 1959 and was paved in 1967.
• Stafford is one of nine tracks that have been a part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series program in each of its 34 years of competition.
• The inaugural NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Stafford was held on April 14, 1985. Richie Evans won the 80-lap race as part of the 14th Annual Spring Sizzler weekend.

Notebook
• The NWMT has held 111 races at Stafford since 1985, a total second only to the 124 events at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
• There have been multiple races at Stafford in 28 of the tour’s 29 previous seasons. The lone exception was 1988, when there were no NWMT dates at the track.
• There have been 31 different race winners at Stafford, led by Mike Stefanik’s 20 victories.
• There have been 42 different pole winners at Stafford, led by Stefanik’s 17. Ryan Preece set the track qualifying in the 2012 Spring Sizzler.
• No driver has started all previous 111 races at Stafford. Jamie Tomaino has missed only one – the inaugural tour date.
• There have been seven races won in wire-to-wire fashion at Stafford, the last by Ron Silk in 2011.
• Ryan Preece was the youngest Stafford race winner at 18 years, 9 months and 14 days.
• Ted Christopher was the oldest Stafford victor at 53 years, 3 months and 28 days.

TSI Harley-Davidson 125
• This is the 24th Annual TSI Harley-Davidson 125. The race date has traditionally run on Memorial Day weekend, although it was contested on July 4th weekend in 2002, `05 and `06.
• There have been 11 different winners in the last 11 editions of this race. The one and only instance of a driver winning this date in back-to-back seasons was Stefanik in 1997-98. 
• Each of the previous four seasons, since the event became 125 laps, the winner of the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 also went on to capture that season’s NWMT championship. The eventual tour titlist also won this race in 1997, `98 and 2007.
• The TSI Harley-Davidson 125 entry list features seven drivers that have previously won at the track: Christopher (12), Bobby Santos (6), Doug Coby (5), Donny Lia (4), Preece (2), Silk (1) and Tomaino (1).

Stafford Motor Speedway Data
Race #:  3 of 14 overall, 2 of 4 at Stafford
Track Layout:  .5-mile asphalt oval
Race Length:  125 laps (62.5 miles)
Banking/Turns 1 & 2:  9 degrees
Banking/Turns 3 & 4:  7.5 degrees

Qualifying/Race Data
2013 Race Winner:  Ryan Preece, 33.678 mph, 1:51:21
2013 Pole Winner:  Bobby Santos, 98.355 mph, 18.301 secs.
Qualifying Record:  Ryan Preece, 100.424 mph, 17.924 secs., 4/29/12

Active Category Leaders at Stafford:
Wins
1. Mike Stefanik … 20
2. Ted Christopher … 12
3. Bobby Santos … 6

Poles
1. Mike Stefanik … 17
2. Donny Lia … 8
3. Bobby Santos … 6

Top Fives
1. Mike Stefanik … 50
2. Ted Christopher … 28
3. Jamie Tomaino … 12

Top 10s
1. Mike Stefanik … 74
2. Jamie Tomaino … 53
3. Ted Christopher … 47

Laps Led
1. Mike Stefanik … 2,165
2. Ted Christopher … 2,083
3. Doug Coby … 662

Laps Completed
1. Jamie Tomaino … 15,836
2. Mike Stefanik … 13,697
3. Ted Christopher … 12,055

Starts
1. Jamie Tomaino … 110
2. Mike Stefanik … 95
3. Ted Christopher … 85

Select Driver Highlights:
Tommy Barrett Jr. (No. 22 Canto Paving/Ferguson Water Works Chevrolet)
• Has one pole and one top-10 finish in four career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts.
• Earned his first career pole in the last NWMT race at Stafford Motor Speedway, the 2014 Spring Sizzler. Has an average finish of 15th in two previous Stafford starts.
• Is the leading Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender after two races.

Justin Bonsignore (No. 51 chem3.com Chevrolet)
• Has four wins, three poles and 35 top 10s in 62 career starts.
• Won the 2014 opener at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
• Has nine top 10s, an average finish of 13th and a best result of second (2013 Spring Sizzler) in 17 career NWMT starts at Stafford. Has finished in the top five in three of his last five Stafford races.

Ted Christopher (No. 13 J&R Pre-Cast/Cape Cod Aggregates Chevrolet)
• The 2008 NWMT champion has 42 wins, 24 poles and 183 top 10s in 337 career starts. His 42 wins rank third all-time and his 24 poles are eighth.
• Is looking to end a 31-race winless drought. It’s his longest such streak since the start of his career when his first win came in his 94th race.
• Has 12 wins, four poles, 28 top fives, 47 top 10s, an average finish of 13th and 2,083 laps led in 85 career NWMT starts at Stafford. Won this race in 2002 and 2005.
• Is an eight-time NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track champion at Stafford in SK Modifieds, where his 100 triumphs are more than double second place on the division’s wins list. Has a record 120 overall career victories at the track entering this week’s events.

Doug Coby (No. 2 Dunleavy’s Repair/HEX Performance Chevrolet)
• The 2012 NWMT champion has nine wins, four poles and 68 top 10s in 145 career starts.
• Won the non-points UNOH Battle At The Beach on the short track at Daytona International Speedway in February and has podiums in the first two regular season races.
• Has five wins, two poles, 11 top fives, 19 top 10s, an average finish of 13th and 662 laps led in 37 career NWMT starts at Stafford. Won this race during his title season of 2012.
• Has finished first (four times) or second (twice) in six of the last nine NWMT races at Stafford, where he has 12-consecutive top-10s.
• Has 18 career NWAAS victories at Stafford, including five in SK Modifieds.

Eric Goodale (No. 58 GAF Roofing/RBSCorp.com Chevrolet)
• Has a pole and 29 top 10s in 75 career NWMT starts. Best finish was second last June at Riverhead Raceway.
• Inherited the NWMT’s active starts streak lead, now at 73 races, when Ed Flemke Jr. did not run the 2014 opener.
• Has four top 10s, an average finish of 16th and a best result of fifth (August 2011) in 22 career starts at Stafford.

Matt Hirschman (No. 52 Furnace & Duct/Seekonk Grand Prix Chevrolet)
• Has two wins, three poles and 41 top 10s in 79 career NWMT starts.
• Has 15 top 10s, an average finish of ninth and a best result of second (2008 Fall Final) in 20 career starts at Stafford.
• Is the only driver entered in this race with a single-digit career average finish at Stafford.

Donny Lia (No. 4 Mystic Missile Racing Dodge)
• The 2007 and 2009 NWMT champion has 17 wins, 18 poles and 73 top 10s in 143 career starts.
• Has four wins, eight poles, 23 top 10s, an average finish of 11th and 338 laps led in 34 career starts at Stafford.
• Won this race in 2007 en route to the first of his two NWMT crowns.

Rowan Pennink (No. 93 Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet)
• Has two wins and 50 top 10s in 102 career starts.
• Has 15 top 10s, an average finish of 11th and a best result of second (2011 Spring Sizzler & 125) in 27 career starts at Stafford. Has finished third in three of the last four races there.

Woody Pitkat (No. 88 Buzz Chew Chevrolet/Elbow East Chevrolet)
• Has a pole and 36 top 10s in 80 career starts. Best career finish is second, recorded three times: August 2011 Loudon, 2012 Stafford Fall Final and 2014 Thompson Icebreaker.
• Has 12 top 10s, an average finish of 15th and a best result of second in 23 career NWMT starts at Stafford. Led a career-high 128 laps in the 2012 Fall Final.
• Is the defending Stafford NWAAS track champion out of the SK Modified division, where he has 27 career wins. Has 71 overall career victories at the track, one shy of tying Bugs Stevens for second all-time.

Ryan Preece (No. 16 East West Marine/Diversified Metals Ford)
• The 2013 NWMT champion has nine wins, 12 poles, 25 podiums, 42 top fives and 55 top 10s in 97 career starts.
• Has two wins, three poles, nine top fives, 13 top 10s, an average finish of 13th and 358 laps led in 27 career NWMT Stafford starts. Set the NWMT track qualifying record in the 2012 Spring Sizzler.
• Is the defending winner of this race. His other Stafford victory came in the August 2009 event.
• Earned the 2011 NWAAS Stafford track title in SK Modifieds, where he has 18 career wins, including a division-high eight a year ago. He’s won both SK features so far this year.

Keith Rocco (No. 48 Wheelers Auto/Mr. Rooter Chevrolet)
• Has seven top 10s in 16 career NWMT starts with a best finish of third in the 2012 Stafford Spring Sizzler.
• Has an average finish of 17th in five career NWMT races at Stafford.
• The 2008 and 2010 NWAAS track champ at Stafford in SK Modifieds, where he ranks third on the division’s career wins list with 37. His 45 total career Stafford triumphs rank sixth all-time.

Bobby Santos (No. 44 Tinio Racing/ImperialCars.com Chevrolet)
• The 2010 NWMT champion has 11 wins, 13 poles and 44 top 10s in 82 career starts.
• Has six wins, six poles, 12 top fives, an average finish of 11th and 679 laps led in 21 career starts at Stafford.
• All six of his Stafford wins have come in the last 16 NWMT races there, including this year’s Spring Sizzler. Won this race during his title season of 2010.

Ron Silk (No. 6 TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm Chevrolet)
• The 2011 NWMT champion has nine wins, eight poles and 74 top 10s in 127 career starts.
• Has a win, two poles, 10 top fives, 16 top 10s, an average finish of 15th and 355 laps led in 34 career Stafford starts.
• Won this race during his 2011 title season.
• Earned the NWAAS modified division title in the New Smyrna Speedway World Series in February.

Up To Speed:
• The 2014 season is the 30th for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
• The 2014 schedule features 14 races at seven different tracks across four states.
• The competition season opened with the non-points UNOH Battle At The Beach on the short track at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 18. Ryan Preece was the polesitter and Doug Coby took the checkered flag.
• Justin Bonsignore passed first-time pole winner Woody Pitkat with nine laps to go to win the points season opener at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on April 6.
• Rookie Tommy Barrett Jr. captured his first pole and Bobby Santos earned his sixth Stafford Motor Speedway victory on April 27.
• Following this week’s TSI Harley-Davidson 125, the NWMT will return to action on June 21 for the Mr. Rooter 161 at Waterford Speedbowl.

Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR

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